By Rajesh Kumar Behera, Kendrapara, Orissa, India
Though nine months have already been passed to the Tornado which played havoc at Rajkanika block on last 31st march , but the tornado -injured persons have failed to get compensation amount from the district administration .
If sources are to be believed , one Sanjay Panda, a CESU employee of Rajkanika, whose 11-year old eldest son lost his right foot in the tornado ,is still running from pillar to post to get his compensation amount . Though he has knocked all the doors to get his son’s compensation amount , but in vain .
According to Sanjay Panda, he and his family were residing at Baghabuda village during when tornado hit the area on 31st March afternoon .On the fateful afternoon ,his 11-year old son, Aditya Panda, was playing with his friends near his house after returning from the school..But when tornado hit the area his son tried to enter into the house .But as ill luck would have it, a portion of the house wall caved at his son along with his spouse, Sasmita . Later, the mother and son were rescued after the locals dragged them out from the caved wall .
“I was not present in the house when the mishap occurred to my family .The locals admitted my injured son ,Aditya, and my spouse,Sasmita, at the Rajkanika CHC and later informed me. I rushed to the CHC and later took my injured son and spouse to SCB medical college and hospital at Cuttack .On the next day , the injured spouse of mine started recovering from her ailment where as my son got critical injuries in his right leg. When the doctors of SCB medical college asked me to amputate the right leg of my son Aditya as there was no option left .I took my son from SCB and admitted him at a cuttack-based private hospital “Aswani”. Later, the doctor’s of Aswani hospital also amputate the right foot of my son . After, undergoing treatment for 5 months ,I brought my son to the house . I spent around 3 lakh to save my son’s leg but failed to save my son’s leg completely”, stated Sanjay Panda, the father of Aditya..
Later, I filed petition along with attaching the medical report and medical discharge report of my son not once but thrice before the tehsildar of Rajkanika to provide compensation amount to my injured son for losing his foot in the tornado .But till date I was deprived to get a single rupee from the district administration, alleged Sanjay Panda..
Notably, the state government had declared to provide compensation amount of Rs 50,000 to the injured persons who lost their parts.But it seems the announcement of Naveen Pattnaik ,the CM of Orissa , was a farce as my son is yet to get the compensation amount from the district administration though nine months have already been passed to the tornado,stated Sasmita Panda, the mother of Aditya.
We both husband and wife were engaged in taking care of Aditya for completing his daily routine works .The walker has become the life line for Aditya since last eight months , added Sasmita .
The plight of Aditya has become the symbol of the woes of several tornado hit villagers of Rajkanika.As alike Aditya they have yet to get financial assistant from the district administration for their injuries in the tornado.
When contacted the Sub collector ,Ranjan Kumar Dash informed that as the father of the victim had admitted his son in a private hospital ,so we failed to get information about the child for enlisting him to provide compensation .I have directed the local tehsildar to conduct an inquiry and to submit detailed inquiry report within a week and later as per the CM’s announcement the victim’s family is going to get compensation very shortly .
“I also asked the District Project Co-ordinator of Sarva Sikhya Abhijan to take step for providing an artifical limb to Aditya “, added the sub collector on Saturday.
Notably ,the 31st March tornado played a devastation in seven heavily populated gram panchayats besides claiming sixteen human lives and injuring hundreds of persons besides rendering more than 1000 families homeless
The economic backbone of at least seven gram panchayats has severely been damaged by 31 March Tornado devastation. Over a thousand houses both pucca and kuchha were raged to the ground as heavenly intervention that lasted for few minutes brought in its wake trails of destruction and human misery in these sleepy villages. The killer tornado claimed 16 lives while more than hundred sustained various degree of injury. A total of 7,722 residents in Mangalpur, Maneidiha, Mukundpur, Bharigada, Ganja, Baghabuda, Badataila, Barada, Arasa, Gobindapur, and Dalikanda were officially reported to have been affected by the tornado.
The principal grouse of majority of victims was that the local administration has meted out a raw deal to them. Disbursal of house damage repair grants is not yet complete. The help and relief doled out to them are too scanty to make up their losses. The plight of houseless people remains the same despite the government’s tall claims on tornado reconstruction programme.
